Tokyo Lift-Off 2017 – Shorts programme 2

Shorts programme 2

1.

Heathen Dir. .Siobhan Mulready Australia | 2016 | 12 mins | Language: English with Japanese subtitlesTo win the attention of his father, a 14-year-old boy conducts an anthropological study on the effects of the drought on his rural community.

2.

Ampersand Dir. Erin Shea USA | 2016 | 3 minsAmpersand is science visualization meets animated music video. The film takes the audience on a playful animated journey from the subatomic to the galactic and touches on many core ideas of science like the wave particle duality, evolution, and pollination.

3.

Hope Dir. Adam A. Losurdo Norway | 2016 | 12minsA senseless wandering ghoul roaming through a world of the hunger-less undead and accepting but resentful humans will soon discover a craving that leaves him completely and utterly without H O P E.

7.

The Sad Monk Dir. Diana Frankovic Germany/Nepal | 2016 | 12 minsWhen we find ourselves in another emotional crisis, we begin to question our existence and the meaning of life. We want change. Eastern philosophies, yoga and meditation are the keys to happiness, or so preach the countless Western adherents of these far eastern practices. Buddhism is the path to enlightenment. But is that really the case?

8.

Lion Dance Dir. Tim Pattinson and Zheng Kang USA | 2016 | 6 mins | Language: English with Japanese subtitlesLION DANCE is a romantic visual poem set during a traditional Asian parade in which a highly acrobatic dance is performed to bring good luck. It explores the theme of serendipity using a combination of CG, 2D animation techniques, and a soundtrack to express the rhythmic and pulsating emotion and actions of the characters. LION DANCE is the MFA thesis film of Zheng Kang and Tim Pattinson, USC School of Cinematic Arts class of 2016.

9.

Breaker Dir. Philippe McKie Canada, Japan | 2017 | 11minsIn tomorrow's Tokyo, the technologically-enhanced body of a young mercenary hacker is overrun by a sentient data weapon. Wanted, the parasitic A.I becomes her only ally as she is chased across the city by those seeking to salvage it.

After each film there will be a 2 minute break, during which we invite the audience to complete score cards. The cards go towards the scoring of the films and are sent directly to the filmmakers to provide insight into the audiences response.